True story:
Some guy bought a motorhome for traveling across the USA. At some point during
his trip, the fellow put the vehicle in cruise control – and then proceeded to
walk toward the back to visit the bathroom. While it was still moving! Predictably,
a wreck soon ensued, although he somehow survived his own stupidity.
 |
| A fruitful life can't be operated by cruise control. |
While some
of us are waiting with bated breath for driverless cars to become the standard
(or maybe, with bad breath?), for now cruise control means we can take our foot
off the gas pedal, but still must steer and use the brake whenever necessary.
I mention
this because I’ve observed people that seem to have hit the “cruise control”
button for their spiritual life. We read Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not
from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Then, for confirmation, we read a passage like Titus 3:5, “he saved us, not because of righteous
things we have done, but because of his mercy….” It’s easy to conclude, “It’s
all done. God’s taken care of everything, so it’s smooth sailing from here on.”
Yes, believers
in Christ are saved by faith, recipients of His love, mercy and grace. None of
which is earned or deserved. But that’s no rationale for taking our shoes off, leaning
back in our spiritual recliners, and spending out the rest of our lives
clicking a spiritual remote control. If we look seriously at the Scriptures, we
find the so-called “Christian life” anything but a leisurely pursuit.
We get a
clear sense of this when we read the apostle Paul’s admonitions to his protégé,
Timothy. For instance, Paul writes to young Tim, “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one
serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs – he wants to please his
commanding officer. Similarly, if any one competes as an athlete, he does not
receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules. The
hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops” (2
Timothy 3:3-6).
Think about
these examples Paul cites. When was the last time you saw a soldier casually
swaying back and forth in a hammock? Any athlete serious about his or her sport
devotes countless hours to training, expending sweat – and sometimes, blood –
to ensure victory when it’s time for competition. And farmers don’t just dream
about growing lots of corn, soy beans, watermelons or whatever crop they have
in mind. Much of the year is spent preparing the ground, sowing seed, and
nurturing the crop, all for one day reaping a bountiful harvest.
We can’t
excel, as a soldier, athlete, farmer – or teacher, business owner, scientist,
law enforcement officer, or salesperson – without hard work and determination.
In a similar way, God doesn’t intend for His children to don T-shirts
declaring, “Once saved, always saved,” and then cruise through the remainder of
their lives.
If you’re
not certain about that, consider what else Paul wrote to Timothy: “Do your best to present yourself to God as
one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly
handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
Paul
specifically calls Timothy “a workman.” It’s as if he’s saying, “There’s no
place for slackers in the kingdom of God.” For this reason the apostle wrote,
to a different audience, “Whatever you
do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since
you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is
the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24).
It’s clear
Jesus’ followers don’t work for their salvation. The recent observance of the
500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation affirmed that. But a
desire to work and to serve, being committed to participating in the
advancement of God’s purposes on earth, is a natural – and necessary – byproduct
of His transformational work in our lives.
This is why
another apostle, James, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no
deeds? Can such faith save him? ...faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by
action, is dead” (James 2:14-17).
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